The Daily Reporter articles from August 2006

The Daily Reporter archives from August 2006

New formed division of Pewaukee-based VJS Construction Services to focus on private airports.(Company overview)
August 1, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder VJS Lincoln Company has been cleared for takeoff. Pewaukee-based design/build firm VJS Construction Services announced its new division last week, which will focus on designing and contracting airport hangars...

New division to focus on private airports formed.
August 1, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder

Rally held in opposition to 164 widening in Waukesha and Washington counties.
August 1, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle A federal appeals court will decide whether the Wisconsin Department of Transportation can continue its expansion of Highway 164 in Waukesha and Washington counties. The Highway J Citizens Group, an organization...

Regional approach to growth in Milwaukee considered.
August 1, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan After hearing about Denver's formation of a regional economic development group in 1987, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said his city and its neighbors have some catching up to do. "It is time for us as a region to put...

Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District to delay, eliminate projects.
August 2, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District is considering delaying or eliminating $144.4 million in capital projects over the next six years to control spending. The MMSD Commission asked district staff to draft a...

Marshall Erdman Associates Inc.building new headquarters in Madison.
August 2, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder With growth comes change, and for Marshall Erdman & Associates Inc., that means some nice new digs. The Madison-based firm, which specializes in the design and construction of hospitals, clinics, surgery centers and...

Wisconsin contractors donate remodeled room to family with sick child.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle Miranda Effert was born with half a heart but a full measure of spunk. The 4-year-old Brookfield girl has hypo-plastic left heart syndrome, a genetic fluke where only the right side of a person's heart develops....

Milwaukee's four Main Street districts attracting businesses.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan Since starting in spring 2005, the Main Street Milwaukee program has helped open 28 new businesses and create 62 full- and part-time jobs. The program was created by the city and the Local Initiatives Support Corp....

Waukesha may close fire station earlier than planned.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder The city of Waukesha will soon decide whether to permanently close its old Fire Station No. 1 nearly four months ahead of schedule. Heavy rain from Thursday's thunderstorms left 5 feet of water in the station's...

University Square in Madison, Wisconsin, is complex case study.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder Some people might not appreciate just how complex a project University Square in Madison really is. John Wilson does. "This is a project that had everything for A to Z in it in terms of legal disciplines to get...

Labor shortage predicted for Waukesha County.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan A draft of Waukesha County's long-range plan predicts the creation of 76,400 new jobs by 2035, which could lead to labor shortages as the baby boomers retire. "There's a limit to how much intervention can be brought...

Cabela's to open next month in Richfield.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle A Cabela's hunting, fishing and outdoor gear store will open in Richfield Sept. 22 with more developments to follow. The 165,000-square-foot store is being built by Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. of Madison on a...

Highway 164 expansion can continue, U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals rules.
August 7, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle An appellate court on Wednesday upheld a lower court's ruling allowing the expansion of Highway 164 in Waukesha and Washington counties to continue. Seeking an injunction to stop the highway's expansion from two to...

Highway 164 expansion can continue, court rules.
August 7, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle

New Glarus brewery to build addition.
August 7, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder The spotted cows will soon be roaming some nicer pastures in New Glarus. The New Glarus Brewing Co. agreed on terms with the village Thursday night that will allow the brewery to proceed on its $19 million...

Interview with RENEW WI Executive Director Michael Vickerman.(Interview)
August 8, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle Sporting a green headband, frayed jean shorts and a worn T-shirt, RENEW Wisconsin Executive Director Michael Vickerman appears to be a stereotypical Madison environmentalist. But the recently turned 50-year-old is a...

Clean Wisconsin, Sierra Club sue Dept. of Natural Resources in Dane County Circuit Court.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle The $2.15 billion Oak Creek power plant is under construction and will eventually be a done deal, but a fight over its methods is ongoing. Two of Wisconsin's leading environmental protection organizations, Clean...

Clean Wisconsin, Sierra Club sue DNR.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle

VFW sues over Milwaukee's use of eminent domain.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2874 is taking the city of Milwaukee's Redevelopment Authority to court on Sept. 11 in an eminent domain case. The VFW is suing the city for its 2001 acquisition and demolition of a...

Fields disappointed with percentage of purchases from WI to minority-owned businesses.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle State agencies failed to reach a goal of directing 5 percent of purchases to minority-owned businesses in the fiscal year 2004-2005. The Department of Administration reported that in that time, minority-owned...

Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee to be sold.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder The overarching misconception about politicians in Madison was cleared up by Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald at the Wisconsin State Fair Wednesday. "People think it's just Democrats fighting Republicans over there all the...

VFW sues over Milwaukee's use of eminent domain.
August 14, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2874 is taking the city of Milwaukee's Redevelopment Authority to court on Sept. 11 in an eminent domain case. The VFW is suing the city for its 2001 acquisition and demolition of a...

Necedah ethanol plant plans move forward.(Company overview)
August 14, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle The town of Necedah's Community Development Authority approved issuing bonds Tuesday for the construction of one of the largest ethanol plants in the state. Dirt work has already begun on Castle Rock Renewable Fuels...

University of Wisconsin-Parkside planning major projects.
August 14, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan The first major expansion plan for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside would foster a feeling of community by cutting down on commuting and offering more student housing. "The intent is to try and make Parkside more...

Wind turbines project a go in Manitowoc County.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder In most cases, the construction of 49 wind turbines at a price of roughly $200 million would elicit some kind of reaction from the community marked for its development. But Manitowoc County is decidedly quiet at the...

New Milwaukee Amtrak station on track.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan It took a few years to get rolling, but on Monday, the state, city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee Intermodal Partners celebrated the remodeling of Milwaukee's downtown train station. While we wanted to get construction going...

Portage fixing historically significant canal to attract visitors.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle Like many cities, Portage is using the attraction of a waterway to revitalize its downtown. But instead of a river or a lake, the city is rehabilitating its historically significant canal in an effort to draw more...

Milwaukee developer buys Pabst Brewery.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee developer Joseph Zilber Wednesday said his company officially bought the Pabst Brewery and released more details about his plans to redevelop it. His speech focused on his goal of turning the vacant, 21-acre...

Lowell B. Jackson, Wisconsin transportation leader, dies.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle Lowell B. Jackson, a 1982 Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate and influential state figure in transportation, labor and politics, died at the age of 75 Saturday. Jackson had the distinction of being appointed...

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development chooses new labor economist.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder Dennis Winters isn't too concerned about his new job. After all, it's fair to say he's been learning the ropes for years. Department of Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman announced Tuesday that Winters...

American Transmission Company says transmission lines are needed in Dane County.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder The American Transmission Company is open to intervention - but it also is aware of what Dane County needs. Mark Williamson, ATC vice president of major projects, issued a statement Wednesday immediately after the...

Math Starck & Sons joins Ogden Construction Group.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan Mike and Joel Cook are breaking away from the family business at Math Starck & Sons to create Ogden Construction Group LLC. The new company is a partnership with Peter Ogden and John Ogden Jr. of Ogden & Co. Inc.,...

Agreement on Aurora Health Care's Summit plan reached.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan The city of Oconomowoc and Aurora Health Care have agreed to begin an atypical zoning process to gain approval for Aurora's plan to build a hospital in Summit. The process, known as extraterritorial zoning, will allow...

Monona City Council approves roundabout.
August 23, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder A roundabout is now officially slated for the reconstruction of Monona Drive. The controversial interchange was approved by the Monona City Council Monday night by a vote of 4-2, despite a number of protests from...

Legal Aid Society: To protect and serve.
August 24, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan Thomas Cannon might not wear a cape, but he sure sounds like a superhero. The executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee talks about justice for all. He recognizes the dark side of humanity that leads...

State unveils plans for Hill Farms redevelopment in Madison.
August 24, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder Ten months ago, the 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin first suggested that the eastern parking lot of the Hill Farms state Department of Transportation building in Madison could be put to better use. During Monday's...

Pabst Brewery tour in downtown Milwaukee reveals more of new owner Joseph Zilber's ideas.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle From 1844 to 1996, the Pabst Brewery was a thriving hub of beer production in downtown Milwaukee. While its days of cranking out malted hops are over, new owner Joseph Zilber envisions a bustling neighborhood in the...

Parties reach agreement for Mazomanie park.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder Mazomanie Village President Jeff Wirth was a very relieved man Thursday. After three years of overcoming obstacles laid by Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Co. and the state Department of Transportation, the first...

Waukesha courthouse project advances.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Jack Zemlicka "Long overdue," is how Waukesha County Executive Daniel P. Vrakas described the approval of security updates to the County Courthouse. After the Sept. 11 attacks, additional safety measures became a necessity at...

Wisconsin transportation panel finds state's infrastructure in crisis.
August 28, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder The first phase of the Road to the Future Committee's work is in the books, and its findings have left little doubt over the crisis the state's transportation infrastructure is in. The draft report released by the...

Appleton-based Consolidated Construction changes hands.
August 28, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle It can be tough working for a family owned business as a nonfamily member. No matter how hard and well one works, there is usually an heir or two waiting in the wings to take the company reins. But for four...

Brownsville-based Michels Corp. builds ties with Wisconsin's Hispanic workers.
August 28, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan Michels Corp. is trying to build more ties with Wisconsin's Hispanic population. It has made a three-year commitment to contribute to the Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Fund's 30-year effort to help young Hispanics...

Wisconsin's Road to Future Committee called 'flawed'.
August 29, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder $698 million is an attention-grabbing figure. So when the Road to the Future Committee projected that it will cost that amount annually to maintain the basic needs of Wisconsin's transportation infrastructure, a few...

Milwaukee family upset over home remodeling.
August 29, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle A flooded floor, stolen belongings, delayed construction and an unfinished addition to show for it. That's what Mike and Lisa Albright encountered after hiring a contractor to add more space to their Milwaukee home....

Ground is broken on casino expansion in Milwaukee.
August 29, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan Most of the speakers at Monday's groundbreaking for the Potawatomi's $240 million casino expansion in Milwaukee hit on the same talking points. The new jobs were first on the list. The two-year project will create...

Locker's Pointe breaks ground in Wauwatosa.
August 30, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan The land around Locker's Florist's new $3.7 million headquarters project was part of the Locker family farm long before Wauwatosa sprouted a healthy neighborhood there. The new building, once complete, will sit...

Locker's Pointe breaks ground.
August 30, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan

Pipeline in Wisconsin changes direction.
August 30, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder A few minor route changes here and there are expected when you talk about constructing a $240 million pipeline, says Beth Jensen. And residents of Holland got to see revised plans for the project at a public...

Cedarburg subcontractor accused of shoddy home repair defends work.
August 30, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle There are two sides to every story, and Mike Misun wants his heard. After MJM Construction of Cedarburg was publicly accused of everything from shoddy work to theft by an unsatisfied customer, Misun defended his...